The King Who was to Come
Isaiah 9:2-7
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6)
The coming of Jesus Christ is foretold in the Old Testament, as far back as when God says to Satan in Genesis 3:15 that Eve's ultimate offspring (Jesus) will crush Satan's head (namely, at the cross), and to the end of the Old Testament when the prophet Malachi says, "For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (4:2).
In the Jesus Storybook Bible, my daughter, Sally Lloyd-Jones, writes, "There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the centre of the story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name."
Right from the beginning and to the very end of the Old Testament, Jesus is the King who was to come. He is "hidden" in the Old Testament but "totally visible" in the New. For us who believe, our King is not only visible to us, but His truths are hidden in our hearts.
INSIGHT
O Lord, help me to see you in all of Scripture. Jesus said, "These are the scriptures that testify about me"
(John 5:39).
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 45-46
Proverbs 3
Hebrews 1-2
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 [a] The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,[b]
a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[c] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 9:2 Verses 9:2-21 are numbered 9:1-20 in Hebrew text.
b. Isaiah 9:2 Greek version reads a land where death casts its shadow. Compare Matt 4:16.
c. Isaiah 9:6 Or Wonderful, Counselor.
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